Web and Instructional Technology

The Web and Instructional Technology Services Department is proud to announce the release our new blog. Hooray! So, what is a blog anyway?

A Web log (most often referred to as a blog) is a website with frequent entries of commentary, event descriptions, or other material such as graphics or video. This blog, though maintained by your instructional technologists, is really all about you.  Our goal is to provide news and information on a number of instructional technology topics, with new entries occurring on a regular basis. Topics we plan to cover include critical thinking, iTunes, workshops, RLOs, ANGEL and more.

Two outstanding features of blogs are the ability of its readers to provide comments about the content and the blog’s ability to tell the readers when new content is available.

To comment on a post, simply click into the Leave a Reply box of the post you are reading, login using your MySPC account information, type your comment, and click the Submit comment button. We look forward to your input. Note: If no other comments have been made on the post your are attempting to comment, you will need to click on the No Comment link to begin this process.

Receiving notices that new content has been added to the blog is equally as easy, once a reader has subscribed to the blog. Below are some resources to help you learn more.

• RSS in Plain English by Common Craft
• Google Reader Introduction
• Google Reader Tutorial by WITS

Tags: google, googleReader, new blog, RSS

The term Web 2.0 was coined at a brainstorming session between Tim O’Reilly and MediaLive International at a conference in 2005. Many people feel that the term is just a marketing buzz word but it really does not matter because your students are utilizing these new social networking applications by the millions. For the record, Web 2.0 is a term describing new trends in Web technology that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and collaboration among users.

The main question for faculty is: “How can I use these tools to increase student learning or interactions in my classroom?” At this young stage of development, there very few empirical studies that show how Web 2.0 applications benefit student learning. However, there a great deal of anecdotal evidence. Below are few examples found by doing a Google search:

• Reflections on Web 2.0 tools and student learning
• Back to School with the Class Web 2.0
• Web 2.0 applications as alternative environments for informal learning - a critical review

At this point in the development of Web 2.0 applications, it is important that educators not wait for research to verify that increased student learning or interactions are occurring but instead should jump at the chance to create new virtual learning environments for students. Keep in mind that many SPC students are already on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

The first place to begin to truly understand the Web 2.0 world is with an explanation in plain English of how these tools work. The best place to see these explanations is from a group called Common Craft. Their videos are short, less than 3 minutes, fun and easy to understand explanations of Wikis, Blogs, RSS, Twitter, etc.

One of their examples can be seen below: “Blogs in Plain English”

Blogs in Plain English

Your Instructional Technologists have been exploring many new Web 2.0 tools and are looking forward to helping instructors find the tool(s) that best fits their needs.

Tags: Web 2.0

SPC iTunes U is an online portal from which students and others can listen to audio (podcasts) and view video segments (vodcasts). Podcasts can be instructional or promotional in nature.

Visitors to SPC iTunes U can download (i.e., copy) podcasts and listen to them on their computers using free Apple iTunes software. They can also copy these to portable players such as an iPod for on-the-go listening.

Access to SPC podcasts is moderated by logging in at: www.SPCollege.edu/iTunesU and each section has limited access:

• Welcome to St. Petersburg College – Available to everyone, including those who enter as a guest
• SPC Departments – Available only to SPC employees, including instructors
• Courses – Accessibility to each course’s podcasts is limited to instructors who are assigned to teach that course and students who are registered for that specific course

Access to podcasts can also originate from the student’s ANGEL course via a link in the course content.

Tags: iTunesU